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Powers: Definitive Collection #2
Powers: Definitive Collection, Vol. 2
Following hot on the heels of the first-ever Powers hardcover, it's a hardcover collection of the entire second year of Powers in chronological order! These epic Powers stories are presented in order of publication - remastered, redesigned and reformatted! Also featuring all the Powers bonus features you've come to know and love: sketchwork, scripts, interviews, galleries, original designs and another Powers Best of the Letter Column, Year Two! This is the most celebrated year of the award-winning title! A must-have for your comic library! Collects Powers (Vol. 1) #12-24, Annual #1.
488 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2007
7 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,417 books2,571 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 18, 2019
Even better than volume 1. Supergroup and Anarchy are fantastic stories. Bendis and Oeming really upped their game there.
Little Deaths Powers has from the beginning visited the underside of the superpowers set. Here the Olympian dies in the buff and we delve into the world of superhero groupies. Things get a bit skeevy in places. The issue that was turned into a magazine was a neat idea but made for a boring read. The Warren Ellis issue was interesting. I liked the meta element of it. The issue with the Shark was cool up to the point where I had to read the court transcripts. You know what I don't like to do with my comics? Read prose. Comics need art. I'll read a book when I want to read a book.
Supergroup Walker and Pilgrim investigate the death of the member of America's premier superhero team. The series takes a big shift during this arc, hinting at something of a conspiracy while big changes are in order for multiple characters. This is probably the best arc of the series so far. It also contains the first epic city wide fight of the series.
Anarchy A year has passed since the last story ended. Kaotic Chic has spawned a movement. There's a group going around killing Powers, both good and evil. Pilgrim has a new partner. This book just keeps getting better and better. Just when you think Supergroup has hit the high bar, this climbs even higher.
Again there are a ton of extras. Interviews, sketches, letter pages, even Bendis's and Oeming's first collaboration together from a Jinx comic.
Little Deaths Powers has from the beginning visited the underside of the superpowers set. Here the Olympian dies in the buff and we delve into the world of superhero groupies. Things get a bit skeevy in places. The issue that was turned into a magazine was a neat idea but made for a boring read. The Warren Ellis issue was interesting. I liked the meta element of it. The issue with the Shark was cool up to the point where I had to read the court transcripts. You know what I don't like to do with my comics? Read prose. Comics need art. I'll read a book when I want to read a book.
Supergroup Walker and Pilgrim investigate the death of the member of America's premier superhero team. The series takes a big shift during this arc, hinting at something of a conspiracy while big changes are in order for multiple characters. This is probably the best arc of the series so far. It also contains the first epic city wide fight of the series.
Anarchy A year has passed since the last story ended. Kaotic Chic has spawned a movement. There's a group going around killing Powers, both good and evil. Pilgrim has a new partner. This book just keeps getting better and better. Just when you think Supergroup has hit the high bar, this climbs even higher.
Again there are a ton of extras. Interviews, sketches, letter pages, even Bendis's and Oeming's first collaboration together from a Jinx comic.
November 12, 2024
Great series!
August 13, 2010
Overall, volume 2 is better than volume 1, but the art seems to be getting progressively worse. I wasn't sure I liked the straight Bruce Timm-ish art, but I definitely like it better than what's going on here, almost a caricature of the style from the first arc. Some pages look like they were rushed, and some are so grainy they look like they were smaller images blown up to fill whole pages. Maybe Michael Avon Oeming is trying to develop his own style on the fly, but he's not at his best here.
Though I think the stories in this volume were really good, I am continually dismayed by the glaring typographical errors and printing mistakes. Powers may be the worst edited book I have ever read from that perspective. As an English major, that always jostles me out of the story. Can Image not afford to hire someone who knows the difference between your and you're or who can tell that the court transcript reprints page 2 in place of page 6?
Though I think the stories in this volume were really good, I am continually dismayed by the glaring typographical errors and printing mistakes. Powers may be the worst edited book I have ever read from that perspective. As an English major, that always jostles me out of the story. Can Image not afford to hire someone who knows the difference between your and you're or who can tell that the court transcript reprints page 2 in place of page 6?
May 3, 2025
The first story--Little Deaths--didn't really do it for me. The resolution was just too nonexistent. And even though some people loved the gossip mag homage in the middle, I didn't feel like it contributed to the story.
The second story--Supergroup--was much better. It's got a cool story, it arcs nicely, and has a fantastically unforeseen ending. Pretty excellent.
The final story--Anarchy--is really good, but doesn't really resolve. I can only assume this plotline will be picked up later on. But, in this volume at least, it feels undone.
This edition includes a ton of extra stuff, for which I'm thankful. And, praise and complaints aside, I just can't put the series down, for some reason. So there's that.
The second story--Supergroup--was much better. It's got a cool story, it arcs nicely, and has a fantastically unforeseen ending. Pretty excellent.
The final story--Anarchy--is really good, but doesn't really resolve. I can only assume this plotline will be picked up later on. But, in this volume at least, it feels undone.
This edition includes a ton of extra stuff, for which I'm thankful. And, praise and complaints aside, I just can't put the series down, for some reason. So there's that.
April 16, 2015
Darker, Sexier, and possibly even better than the first collection.
June 24, 2010
"Follow the money."
October 13, 2022
I really enjoyed reading the first book of Powers; it’s mixing of superheroes and police procedural stories was done in a way that stood out by its writing and characters from others that have tried that style. I liked it so much I brought this volume just after I finished the first. And it has sat unread on my shelf for about ten years. Finally picking it up, I found myself enjoying it. Maybe not as much as the first volume, but that was probably because it was new then while this is a pleasant return.
We go back to detectives Walker; former superhero who has lost his powers turned police officer and his partner Deena, a loose cannon that’s quick with her mouth and gun. Here, they are part of the police department's powers division, investigating crimes involving people with superpowers. The story follows a somewhat episodic path, with individual cases with many falling into an overarching plot. Here a number of plots swirl around involving superhero team FG3 falling apart in a wave of deaths, which was secretly funded by the government and superheroes being targeted by an activist group calling itself Kaotic Chic. Throw in a few standalone stories like the Olympian’s death and you have a good mix. The plots flow quite well for the most part, but as it goes on the story can start to drift and keeping clear on what is actually going on kind of goes fuzzy. However, the plot most of the time is very strong with a good mix police procedural mystery with the superhero element really well integrated into the mix. I also like how it’s broken up by distinct types of storytelling methods, like court/interview transcripts, TV and radio interviews and exposes. This not only help create a richer world but breaks up the story in a cleverer way.
Walker is still the quiet, restrained one of the partnerships. Looking reserved he’s more like he’s bottling up and keeping his anger on a leash. It’s been so long between reading the previous volume, I cannot remember Walker being in a relationship with the superhero Zora, and with what happens I think it should have played a bigger part.
Deena can come across as loud, opinionated and abrasive. She can come off sometimes as a bit too loud, but I think that’s a point of the character, so it works pretty well.
There seems to be less involvement with any other cops in the powers division than there was previously, not that it really negatively affected the story, I just felt it was a little detail that was missing.
In terms of characters, I'd say the biggest drawback is the fact there isn't really a central antagonist. It's not until late in the game when Kaotic Chic tries to fit into the role, but it doesn't really payoff. While the idea of sort of episodic stories can work, but without some sort of central villain and their nefarious plan the book can seemingly meander at times without a clear direction and there’s no main target to focus on.
The art has a distinct, TV cartoon type style, that somehow is made to fit the more mature story it tells, but when it gets a bit graphic the style manages to work well and not seem out of place. The writing and dialogue are where the book does shine; with Walker and Deena having their own unique traits and being both gripping and having that hard boiled cop show vibe to it.
I enjoyed this; maybe not as the first volume but the whenever the elements that appealed to be were still there. While I can understand some saying that the art seems more like its aimed at a younger audience compared to its story, I think the blend works well as it has that more classic superhero comic book feel to it. If the story were more focused on a single plot and more connected, I think would have greatly improved it. A good approach to tried story of cops in a superhero world, and I’d say definitely one of the better ones, especially on the quality of the writing. For the more mature fan of superhero books, this is a recommendation. Just try and read the first volume beforehand.
We go back to detectives Walker; former superhero who has lost his powers turned police officer and his partner Deena, a loose cannon that’s quick with her mouth and gun. Here, they are part of the police department's powers division, investigating crimes involving people with superpowers. The story follows a somewhat episodic path, with individual cases with many falling into an overarching plot. Here a number of plots swirl around involving superhero team FG3 falling apart in a wave of deaths, which was secretly funded by the government and superheroes being targeted by an activist group calling itself Kaotic Chic. Throw in a few standalone stories like the Olympian’s death and you have a good mix. The plots flow quite well for the most part, but as it goes on the story can start to drift and keeping clear on what is actually going on kind of goes fuzzy. However, the plot most of the time is very strong with a good mix police procedural mystery with the superhero element really well integrated into the mix. I also like how it’s broken up by distinct types of storytelling methods, like court/interview transcripts, TV and radio interviews and exposes. This not only help create a richer world but breaks up the story in a cleverer way.
Walker is still the quiet, restrained one of the partnerships. Looking reserved he’s more like he’s bottling up and keeping his anger on a leash. It’s been so long between reading the previous volume, I cannot remember Walker being in a relationship with the superhero Zora, and with what happens I think it should have played a bigger part.
Deena can come across as loud, opinionated and abrasive. She can come off sometimes as a bit too loud, but I think that’s a point of the character, so it works pretty well.
There seems to be less involvement with any other cops in the powers division than there was previously, not that it really negatively affected the story, I just felt it was a little detail that was missing.
In terms of characters, I'd say the biggest drawback is the fact there isn't really a central antagonist. It's not until late in the game when Kaotic Chic tries to fit into the role, but it doesn't really payoff. While the idea of sort of episodic stories can work, but without some sort of central villain and their nefarious plan the book can seemingly meander at times without a clear direction and there’s no main target to focus on.
The art has a distinct, TV cartoon type style, that somehow is made to fit the more mature story it tells, but when it gets a bit graphic the style manages to work well and not seem out of place. The writing and dialogue are where the book does shine; with Walker and Deena having their own unique traits and being both gripping and having that hard boiled cop show vibe to it.
I enjoyed this; maybe not as the first volume but the whenever the elements that appealed to be were still there. While I can understand some saying that the art seems more like its aimed at a younger audience compared to its story, I think the blend works well as it has that more classic superhero comic book feel to it. If the story were more focused on a single plot and more connected, I think would have greatly improved it. A good approach to tried story of cops in a superhero world, and I’d say definitely one of the better ones, especially on the quality of the writing. For the more mature fan of superhero books, this is a recommendation. Just try and read the first volume beforehand.
October 10, 2020
What it's about: Detectives Walker and Pilgrim continue to work the Super Powers homicide beat, keeping tabs on the murders that involve superpowered individuals. First Olympia, the Golden One himself, turns up dead in a seedy apartment. Then the members of FG-3 start dropping like flies. Not long after, an anti-powers group starts murdering heroes. Along the way, Walker makes some choices that change his life forever.
What I thought: I vaguely remembered enjoying the first Powers collection, so I grabbed this one at the library.
Meh.
The art is very basic and blocky; it's not a style I normally gravitate to. There are a few stories included here; I thought they were all part of a single ongoing arc, but they don't seem to actually be related.
In fact, even within themselves, they don't seem to hold together too well. The first story just seems to sort of trail off. The second section is fairly interesting and seems to be developing toward something intriguing before it just dead-ends. The final part picks up 18 months later, and it feels like a bunch of disjointed sections of the same story. It both feels like pieces are missing, and like those missing pieces aren't terribly necessary. It felt like kind of a mess to me. And then it abruptly ends, too.
Why I rated it like I did: There's a lot of potential in these stories. They're sort of a different version of The Boys - there's sex and drugs and violence and swearing all over the place (a lot of which seems out of place in this very simplistic, almost child-like art style). But so few of the storylines actually reach any kind of satisfying conclusion. Maybe that's the point - in life, we don't usually get clear-cut resolutions, so in this comic book that's supposed to be about what a real world with powered individuals would be like, there aren't any neat endings. But for someone who enjoys stories, I found it just frustrating.
What I thought: I vaguely remembered enjoying the first Powers collection, so I grabbed this one at the library.
Meh.
The art is very basic and blocky; it's not a style I normally gravitate to. There are a few stories included here; I thought they were all part of a single ongoing arc, but they don't seem to actually be related.
In fact, even within themselves, they don't seem to hold together too well. The first story just seems to sort of trail off. The second section is fairly interesting and seems to be developing toward something intriguing before it just dead-ends. The final part picks up 18 months later, and it feels like a bunch of disjointed sections of the same story. It both feels like pieces are missing, and like those missing pieces aren't terribly necessary. It felt like kind of a mess to me. And then it abruptly ends, too.
Why I rated it like I did: There's a lot of potential in these stories. They're sort of a different version of The Boys - there's sex and drugs and violence and swearing all over the place (a lot of which seems out of place in this very simplistic, almost child-like art style). But so few of the storylines actually reach any kind of satisfying conclusion. Maybe that's the point - in life, we don't usually get clear-cut resolutions, so in this comic book that's supposed to be about what a real world with powered individuals would be like, there aren't any neat endings. But for someone who enjoys stories, I found it just frustrating.
March 30, 2021
This is what I consider to be peak Bendis. It's somewhat of a noir, crime thriller, which seems to be his strongest genre. The dialog here is snappy without being quite as quippy and tortured as it would later get at Marvel. Pilgrim and Walker are sharply drawn, intriguing, and memorable.
I also like that the story lines are somewhat self-contained and don't drag on for ages the way some later Bendis work did on more mainstream titles, and even later Powers.
The moody art fits perfectly, with it's stylized drawing of characters which lets us get a grasp on their essentials right away. The inky blacks contribute to a gritty, noir feel, and the ultraviolence is gruesome when needed without being over the top exploitative.
My one, tiny issue is because of the sheer amount of story they give you here and the high quality of the paper, the book is fairly heavy to hold.
I also like that the story lines are somewhat self-contained and don't drag on for ages the way some later Bendis work did on more mainstream titles, and even later Powers.
The moody art fits perfectly, with it's stylized drawing of characters which lets us get a grasp on their essentials right away. The inky blacks contribute to a gritty, noir feel, and the ultraviolence is gruesome when needed without being over the top exploitative.
My one, tiny issue is because of the sheer amount of story they give you here and the high quality of the paper, the book is fairly heavy to hold.
May 11, 2025
(This review covers the complete series)
A gritty mix of crime drama and superhero deconstruction, set in a world where people with powers are often selfish, reckless, or corrupt. It follows homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim as they investigate crimes involving people with powers. The writing mixes noir-style dialogue with grounded character development, while the shadow-heavy art gives it a stylish, atmospheric look.
A gritty mix of crime drama and superhero deconstruction, set in a world where people with powers are often selfish, reckless, or corrupt. It follows homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim as they investigate crimes involving people with powers. The writing mixes noir-style dialogue with grounded character development, while the shadow-heavy art gives it a stylish, atmospheric look.
November 11, 2025
Clearly it would have been better to start with volume one, but this is the one I found and it’s brilliant. More importantly it shows up The Boys for exactly how infantile it can be. I think Ennis’ heart is in the right place but he’s never matured beyond the things he found funny or exciting as a teenager as a writer and boy does it show. This is nuanced, thrilling, sad and beautifully drawn. Very impressed so far
December 30, 2019
The second compilation I’ve read is still all kinds of CrazySexyCool, and I loved some of the indirect storytelling via magazine articles and all the nods to the comics industry in the names and places.
July 20, 2020
This chunky collection was a lot better than the first volume. You feel the creators really get into their stride here. Plus, this volume isn’t half made up of bonus material
October 10, 2021
Esta bastante bien ha reducido un poco el tema de la repetición absurda de diálogos, lo que no evita que no se callen casi nunca, cuando lo hacen es brillante.
July 7, 2013
This is a lot better than the previous volume, the narrative and the overall story are ten times a much improvement. The last storyline of this volume was a superb way to comeback for one of the main characters, Detective Christian Walker, and answered the question, "What happened to him after he came out to public about his thoughts on the FG-3 case?". I do believe that after his friend, Triphammer helped him financially he became depressed and allowed himself to be fat and timid. Also that name of the group "FG-3" and its members reminds me of The Fugees and some striking similarities with the Hip-Hop trio.
This collection was an overall treat especially if you are a fan of the creators, with the DVD (now BLURAY tech) extra feel of the last pages, you'll def love this collection. Interviews of both creators and covers that were used for the single issues.
I am looking forward reading the rest of this fantastic series.
This collection was an overall treat especially if you are a fan of the creators, with the DVD (now BLURAY tech) extra feel of the last pages, you'll def love this collection. Interviews of both creators and covers that were used for the single issues.
I am looking forward reading the rest of this fantastic series.
January 10, 2011
This was OK. I got really upset about the things that happen to Walker in the middle--he really got screwed over. The end of this volume helped with that a bit, but not entirely. I got really frustrated by the many, many typographical errors in this volume. I know there's a lot more words on the page here than in a typical comic book (especially on the at-first-interesting-but-eventually-annoying news pages), but you need to pay as much attention to your words as you do your art. Although these were enjoyable and there are loose ends that trail after the end of this volume, I think I'm probably done with this series.
February 9, 2019
I wonder if I read this 18 years ago if I'd view it differently. There are definitely aspects of this that are different to a regular superhero comic -but from this vantage point in time it is hard for me to say how much.
I get why some people enjoy this.
Bendis is better when he doesn't have to worry about others continuity.
It has a strange quality where is simultaneously feels like it takes for ever to read and reads really quickly at the same time. Almost like a TARDIS of comics.
I get why some people enjoy this.
Bendis is better when he doesn't have to worry about others continuity.
It has a strange quality where is simultaneously feels like it takes for ever to read and reads really quickly at the same time. Almost like a TARDIS of comics.
August 18, 2011
To be honest, I read a bunch of these "definitive" collections back-to-back, so I don't really remember how I feel about each specific one anymore. But they all get 3 or 4 stars. I burn through them in a day or two. (This one just took me a long time because I forgot how much I liked it, for a while. Then I picked it up again and remembered.)
May 17, 2012
I enjoy this series, but sometimes it gets a little too heavy. Also, I feel like they overuse the interview bit to get expository information in. It feels like a of a cop out. If you want to fill a page with text, write a novel. That aside this is an intersting and inventive series that I plan to keep reading.
January 5, 2014
Finished reading the comic portion before my Christmas trip, but didn't want to lug such a large volume with me. There are a lot of extras in this one. A very good collection overall that gives some good insight into Walker.
July 12, 2015
I do like this series, but I wish there was a little more "outside the case" stuff being shown. The cases all feel compartmentalized. This series does include better extras than other collected volumes I've read, though, so that's nice.
February 3, 2012
I really need to go back and read volume 1 but so far I'm loving volume 2 just as much. Kutter!
January 7, 2011
the incredible team of bendis and oeming makes this a sheer joy to read. i look forward to volume 3!
August 23, 2011
I didn't find the plot as enjoyable as the first volume - the Olympia one for example, I wasn't a fan. Still the artwork is really cool so four stars from me.
January 16, 2012
Really hit its stride with this second volume. A big improvement. Just great storytelling and wonderful art.
August 8, 2013
Little violent but a great read.
April 1, 2014
Barely holding on to that 3 stars. I think I'm going to have to take a break after charging through the first two volumes of this. Maybe some time will help reinvigorate things between me and Powers.
April 7, 2015
Great. Simply great.
August 1, 2016
When superheroes are seen as babysitters of the human race no one gets what they want.
January 11, 2019
A buddy cop story with with a super hero backdrop, witty dialogues, intrigues and a lot of guts. Terrific!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews